Ckelton matheny



No. 66,159. PATENTBD JUNE 25, 1857,

o. MATHBNY. y DITGHING MACHINE..

@ni-teitV tstra @anni y @Hirsi cn'EL'ro-N Martinus, orGREnNsBUn-G, iNf'niANn vLema@ naar 1ra. 66,159, daad Jane 25,1867.

A -IMraovsD mesme mesma Y l @it 5:11am meint-tr in there jetter; @that 'mit mating part if the sans..

TO WHOM IT MAY GONCERN:

Beit known thatv I, OnnLroN MALHENY, of Greensburg, in the county of Decatur, and State of Indiana, have invented, certain new and useful improvements in Ditching Machines; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making` p nrt of this specification. i l

I My invention relates'toithat class of ditchin'gnachinesin w'hichawheel armed with lspades is employed for cuttingithe ditch, 'and my improvement consists in reta-acting one set of the-spades at the proper `time so as to free the machine ofthe excavated dirt, and said spades are again protruded by means of 'za xed cam, the whole being mounted in a -suitable gravitating frame secured within `e. carriage. YIn the accompanying drawings g Figure 1 isa longitudinal section of aditching machine embodying my improvement, .the excavating-wheel l being shown partially in elevation, and partially .in vertical section.' Figure 2 is a` top view or plan of the machine, v l A represents the main frame pf the machine, which is' supported uponthe ground wheelsB B B B and Vpivoted ata to the front end of this frame is an adjustable frame, GIG', which affords "journal-bearings forthe shaft d of vthe excavating-wheel The rim `of' the'wheel is provided with aseries of radial slots, E, whose 'width inciteases inwardly or tow'ards the `centre of the wheel, for the purpose of allowing any dirt that might enter throughvthem to lfall out, thus preventing the working parts ofthe machine from getting clogged up. Each of theradial slots E is traversed by a knife or spade, F, havinga stem,lG, and this` stem has connected to it u. stud, g, which impingfes against either of-the xed camsI-I I, the latter being secured 'to the adjustable frame C by means of Vthe Vbrace z' and anges T. For the purpose ofareducing the friction'caused by the 'contact .of the cams ,H and studs g, the latter may have journalledupon them an anti-friction roller, G. Secured to the outsides of` the 1 -im of the operating-wheel, by the` boltsj, is aI number of se'e'gmental plates forming my4 segmental cutters J Jkand the distance or space`betweeu said`plates determines the width ofthe ditch.. The segmental plates J J and redialspades F, together form a seriesv of compartments,.K, which serve to contain the excavated earth. L is an inclined scraper, the 'elevated end of which, l, rests upon the periphery of the excavating-wheel D, and this scraper sloping obli'quely in front of the' wheel serves to deliver the dirt from the Y V,said excavating-wheel andthrow it.oif on one side of the ditch.V The scraper is connected to the frame O C ly means ot'lthe arm The torwardend of the adjustable frame OVW-is providedwith two rotary cutters, M, which assist the lsegmental plates J J in cutting down'the sides of the .ditc h,and the rear end of 4thisfrrlme u 9 has secured to 4it a shovel or scoop, N, which clears the ditch of any loose earth whichlmay have falleainto it, n f and this shovel also prevents the dirt 'from droppingout of the compartmentsK. The frame CiU', which car)- 3 O ries the excavating-wheel D, is adjusted sons to enable thelatter to cut eithr a deep orshallow ditch by means of the following devices;V Risingvertically fromrthe lmain frame A are two stanchios, 0 O, whose upper ends are connected by means of the bcnm P, and the latter has secured toit a nut, 'r,-with which the screw R engages, and the upper end` of this screw is furnished with a crank o r winch, tS, by which it is rotated. The I lo-'w'er Vend of the screw is`attachcd to the transverse beam c of the-adjustable frame C G,'and it will be seen Vthatthe Said frame and its accompanyingexcavating-wheel can b e raised or lowered by simply turning the crankA S either to the right 'or left. The screw may be omitted, andr a windl-ass may be journalled-inthe atanchions O O', having a rope or chain attached to the beam c, or a sim'plelever maybe employed infpla-ce of'eithcr,

of these devices.' i l i 'l y 4The operation `is as follows: When thel nlachiueis drawn over the ground the e'xcavating'wheel D is rotated in thedirection indicated by the red ar'mr, and the weight of the machine forces said wheel `and the' radial spades into'the ground'a distance equal to the depth of the segmental plates J', thus forcing the earth into i the compartment K., where it isrretained until Vthe said compartment has ,arrived at a. point directly over the shaft d, when the eccentric portion of the camv I causes the radial knife or spade F to retract. This retraction .of the knife is continued-until the compartment has reached a position about at an angle of forty-five degrees, and at` this .point the knife is completely withdrawn from its advanced position. The scraper L now comes into action, and as 'it presscsclosely against the periphery of the cutting-wheel it liberates the dirt from the latter and dischargesit at one side of' the ditch.4 Thisscraper may be set so as to deliverA the dirt either on therighb hand or left-hand side of the ditch, as may be desired..v The action of the sernperL should be deferred as long as possible, so that the weight of the excavated earth contained in the compartments K-w'ill assist irl-forcing the excavating-,wheel into the ground. The excavating-wheel being. cleared of dirt-by the retraction of the knives and the action of the scraper, the said knives are aga-in protruded by means of the studs g being brought vin contact with the eccentric 'portion h of the camH, and the continued revolution ofl the cutting-wheel, fills and exnpties the compartments in the manner abovedescribed. It is intended that this machine shall only cut as it isy drawn in one direction, but by providing two Scrapers, L, instead. of one, and by arranging thecarns H and I in a proper manner, the machine will cut as it is drawn in either direction.

A' ditch being eut as deep as lpossible the adjustable frame is lowered by simply rotating the screw R,

and by successively cutting and then lowering a ditch of 'any required depth may he ont.`

In the drawing tho excavating-wheel D is represented as b eing a. simple disk, but it 'is evident that it can be' constructed in the same manner-as any ordinary wheel, having a' number of armsradiating frein the hub d outwardly to the'rim which contains thespades.

I claim herein as lnew, a.nd of my invention- .1. In a ditching machine the revolving excavating-wheel D, armed with two circumferential cutters, J J',

and a` series of radial knives, F, the latter being automatically advan'cedt'nd retractedby the cams H and I, as

end for the purpose herein described and set forth.

2; Theinclined scraper L l, when used in combination with the wheel D, knives F, cams H I, and cutters v J-,.'i`or the purpose of freeing the wheel ofthevexcevated earth in the .manner explained.

` '3.v I also claim the pair of revolving cutters or coultersM, operating as described and for the pur'pjose setA l forth, when used in combination with the aforesaid wheel D JJ', knives F, and earns'H andrI..

y4. In combination with tlie wheel D J J', knives F, and cams H I, I claim' the shovel or scoop IN, for the' object herein, explained and set forth.

. In testimony of which invention I herennto set my hand. i'

' CHELT'ON MATHENY.

Witnesses:

Gno. H. KNIIGHT JAMES H. vLM'MA'N. 

